Morrissey played at the Manchester Arena on Saturday August 20th and there were signs posted all around the venue reminding people that at the request of the artist there were going to be no meat products on offer throughout the evening. Interestingly, although some people were a bit shocked by the graphic nature of the slaughterhouse videos during his Meat is Murder song, others took to Twitter to say that they had been inspired to go vegetarian by the gig.

Going vegetarian or vegan is a big decision and not one to be undertaken lightly. To succeed as a vegan, you need to have a strong enough incentive to stick to it, whether it be for animal welfare or health and give it 100% commitment. Basically, your reasons have to be more important and more of a priority than your likely love of beef burgers, steaks, and all the other animal-based foods you are used to, otherwise you may well end up faltering or failing outright in your vegan lifestyle, which would be a great shame.

Perhaps, if you have been thinking about it for a while but don't yet have that "mental" commitment, rather than going all-in for an all-out disaster (or not starting at all), it might be worth taking a few small steps at first. Why don't you consider adopting a flexitarian approach and perhaps not eat meat during the week and try to phase it out at weekends? You may find it easier to stick to doing it that way, and having grown more confident with your food habits and discovering meals or recipes that will keep you coming back for more, will find the transition to a full vegan a lot smoother.

For a would-be vegan, giving up dairy cheese is often the hardest part, but these days there's so much choice. Check out the Bute Island website for non-dairy cheese and other options that could help you make healthier lifestyle choices in the future.